


On the Steps of the Tower

by melonshino



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: A lot of running away from the Avengers, Dogs, Drabble Series, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Indecisive Reader, Meet-Cute, Mutant Reader, Reader-Insert, Seriously tho, Songfic, Time Stop Powers, Vigilante Reader, You're like a roadrunner tbh, a lot of dogs - Freeform, a tiny bit of angst, but it's relatively minor, they're like too good for this world tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8404678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonshino/pseuds/melonshino
Summary: A drabble series I'm cross-posting from tumblr inspired by the song "On the Steps of the Palace" from Into the Woods.Reader has the power to start and stop time and uses it to fight crime in Brooklyn. The Avengers, under the impression that she has super speed like Pietro, are tasked with bringing her in for SHIELD.Also, Steve starts hanging out with his sweet neighbor who walks dogs for a living.((on hiatus))





	1. She's a ghost, Cap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit (on July 12th, 2017): I'm slowly going through and editing this story. I was re-reading it to get back into the groove and just... couldn't help myself from editing it as I went, sooo yeah. The story will stay pretty much the same plot-wise. I'm just fleshing it out / fixing it up a bit at this point.

Your chest heaved as you caught your breath on top of a seemingly random building a few blocks away from the bank. This was the third time this week that a certain ragtag band of superheroes had decided to crash in on your nighttime activities. Thus, it was also the third time this week that you had to run away from said superheroes as they were really keen on stopping you for some reason. 

It’s not like there weren’t a million other masked vigilantes running around New York for them to pursue. Nope. Just had to be you that they went after... 

Your brain felt like it was going to burst out of your skull from overusing your powers in such a short amount of time. You’d been dealing with an eerily well-orchestrated bank robbery when the Avengers burst in through the front door, sending everyone in the room scattering. A few of them stayed behind to help the police wrangle up the bank robbers but the rest of the team set their sights on the girl in bunny mask.

As your breath settled, you wiped at your mouth and, ugh, yup your lip was bleeding under your mask. Gross.

You knew what you did was hard work but, man, sometimes it was easy to forget how tough it was on your system. Even if what you did was  _ technically _ illegal, you still went out of your way to use your powers to keep the city just a little bit safer. Your parents always said that you had been given the gift of  _ a little extra time _ , so you saw it as your duty to use it to help others when you could. So you didn't see why they were so hellbent in taking you in, especially because they never exactly explained  _ why _ they were after you. The Avengers seemed to be more about action than words, despite all the banter during fights. 

At the very least, your crime fighting escapades didn't actually take up too much of your free time. That is, well, that's because you’d been born with the power to stop and start time whenever you wanted. In the blink of an eye (quite literally) you could stop everything and everyone around you for about half an hour until you had to let go and start time again. Even then, you could just stop it again almost immediately, as long as you weren't particularly drained physically or mentally. 

Largely, however, you stuck to what you called “blinking”. Which was essentially starting and stopping time in short bursts to aid you in fighting or escaping. To your enemies you looked like a blur as you moved around the field, their minds largely making up for the choppy movements as you dashed around them. You could also influence things around you to a degree when you stopped time. Your punches definitely still registered, and moving things out of the way was particularly fun.

After catching your breath, you scaled down the building down to the dark alley below where you stashed your hobbled together costume into a plain black backpack and switched out for normal clothes. You pulled out your phone to use your GPS and thanked the stars that it still somehow came out unscathed during the fight. You really had to get off your lazy ass soon and order a better case for the poor thing. It was much more practical than having to buy a new phone later.

You let out a sigh of relief after making it back to your little apartment that was only a few subway stops away. It was a small place but it was comfortable and completely yours, somehow. You had inherited a good amount of money when your parents passed away a few years ago, enough to live off of for the rest of your life if you were smart about it. 

Even so, you had taken up dog-walking as a hobby/side business to keep you busy outside of school. Honestly, there was only so much solo crime-fighting you could do before you needed a break, you know? And really, it wasn't much of a business anyway since you took on  _ a lot _ of old people’s pets as free clients but you had fun nonetheless. A bit more fun than going back to school to study Physics but both had their merits. It was a longshot but you still hoped that by getting this degree (and probably a masters… and a doctorate, ugh) that you might learn more about your powers.

It was a comfortable existence you eked out for yourself and you were happy enough, not all the way happy just yet but you were... content. 

You left your bag by the door so you could take care of your makeshift suit in the morning. You stripped down to your underwear before throwing on a loose night shirt from the dryer. The bed was still a bit messy but you pretty much collapsed face-first onto your bed, rolling up in the thick blankets you just washed this morning. The aches and pains from the fight were catching up with you but, thankfully, sleep took you quickly.

 

* * *

 

 

“What do you mean you can't find anything on her!” Tony barked into the air at FRIDAY. “We've been running every voice recognition program and still nothing?”

“Unfortunately that seems to be the case, Sir. There wasn't a lot to go on from the clip and it very possible that she doesn't have a record to trace in the first place,” the A.I. replied.Tony scoffed and threw his hands up in the air, already at his wits end. All of the best tech the world could offer and one girl had somehow managed to elude them again and again.

He tapped away on his tablet, trying to think of another solution to their growing vigilante problem. He growled to himself as he walked to the common room where the others were situated. How could one girl be so utterly impossible to pin down? Even Pietro wasn't fast enough to do more than snag your arm a couple times. And it really didn't help that the only way to draw you out of hiding was to wait for a particularly big robbery or similar disaster, instead of tracking you down without a fight going on.

He entered the common room with a huff and a sour face. “No go, Capsicle. There wasn't enough of a clip for FRIDAY to pick up anyone in particular,” Tony groused. Steve clonked his head on the back of the couch and sighed. 

“No records or anything?,” Steve asked with an exasperated look. The rest of the team shared a similar mood, way too tired of chasing down this one enhanced.

“Nothing, Cap. Girl’s a ghost and there's not much we can do unless I can get a face or DNA,” Tony said as he turned towards the kitchen for food.

“You know,” Natasha piped in, “I've been thinking–”

“That's dangerous,” Clint joked and was met with a swift slap to the back of head from Nat.

“What if we  _ stage _ something to draw her out?” She continued, earning a few curious looks from the rest of the team. “She's a vigilante. Only ever shows up when there's something big to take of. So let's make something up to trap her.”

“We could make it near the Tower so she can't get far,” Sam added.

“I don't know. I think you're underestimating someone who clearly doesn't want to get caught. I mean, she’s faster than Sonic the Hedgehog over there. Do we really have anything that could stick her in place for long?” Clint pointed out, getting a few nods from the others as he played with a few of his trick arrows at the kitchen table.

Tony’s head shot up from the fridge, mouth half-full of blueberries.

“I've got just the thing.”


	2. Work is work.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go to work and bump into someone you wanted to avoid, maybe.

You woke up the next morning with a dull ache echoing in the back of your head. Your bones protested loudly as you stretched and rolled over, reaching over to your nightstand for your phone. A groan slipped out of your mouth when you read the time. 6:42AM. That meant you only had approximately 18 minutes to get dressed, fed, and off to your first client of the day if you wanted to get there on time.

Well, you could always stop time for a bit but that would probably have an adverse effect considering your powers were the reason you were so drained. So, you sloughed yourself off of the bed and into a searingly hot shower to force your body to wake up. Too tired to do it yesterday, you scrubbed off yesterday’s dirt and grime, leaving your skin a bit raw but feeling fresh. You rinsed the grit out of your hair even if it begged to be washed properly, having to remind yourself that shampooing everyday was bad for it. No one likes split ends.

Once you were out of the shower and mostly dried off, you dressed in thick yoga pants and layered on a few shirts under a cable-knit jumper since it was getting cold out in the mornings. You scarfed down some semblance of breakfast and scurried up to the top floor of your building for pick-up. You knocked swiftly just as Mrs. Mendez pulled open her door with a tired smile. Her service dog, Milo, needed a good run in the mornings. If not, he would be antsy and have a hard time listening for the rest of the day.

“Gracias, Y/N. As always you’re a real lifesaver,” she spoke softly in her lightly-accented voice. You held in a snort and just smiled sweetly.

“You don’t know the half of it,” you joked but clearly she wouldn’t get it as no one in your life knew that you were a masked crime fighter on the side.

"Here, let me get Milo and your money,” she said, leaving the door open for you to come inside.

You had protested several times that she really didn’t need to pay you, since you were more than happy to walk Milo for free but she wouldn’t hear a word about it. “Work is work,” she’d always say. The older golden retriever burst into the room as soon as he heard you speak and you grabbed the thick woven leash by the door, making him sit and do a few tricks to get his focus. You begrudgingly took Mrs. Mendez’s money and waved goodbye, letting her know that you’d be back in about two hours so Milo would be home in time for her doctor’s appointment. She just waved you off good-naturedly and shut the door behind you.

* * *

You put on your headphones, turning on the police scanner app on your phone so you could listen in as you walked Milo. He was the only dog you walked this early in the morning on Tuesdays and the only dog you walked almost everyday. Oddly enough, most of the radios are pretty silent today, which was technically good but also a little eerie considering the fact that you lived in Brooklyn. There was always something minor happening, right? Even the ambulance frequency only had a few things going on!

It was weird for you to maybe have a day off of your nighttime hobby. Maybe you could use the extra time to get ahead on your homework… Or you could binge-watch something on Netflix…

Yup, definitely Netflix and junk food.

You walked to the nearby park for your run, changing from your police scanner app to your running music. Milo took off as soon as you let him, leash taut in your hand as you kept up with him from behind. You got lost in your own head for a while, letting Milo lead for once. Which, in the end, was your biggest mistake since Milo, as good as he was at being a service dog, was not very good at impulse control when he wasn’t working. He yanked you across a field, darting after a frisbee meant for another dog. You yelled after him, hand gripping his leash tightly but since all of your attention was on Milo, you didn’t see the other dog’s owner in your path.

You yelped as you hit a solid wall of muscle face-first, reeling back on your ass onto the grass as the leash slipped out of your hand. You blurted out several apologies and huffed tiredly as you spotted Milo play-wrestling with the other dog, who looked like some kind of mutt. The person above you was talking pretty quickly but the words didn’t register with your brain. You whined as you checked your sore nose. It hurt quite a bit but you were happy to not find any blood or broken bones.

You jumped as someone put their huge hands on your shoulders, shaking you gently.

"Are you alright, ma'am?,” the person asked frantically.

Your breath stopped as you were met with prettiest azure blue eyes you had ever seen in your life, then your heart stopped too when it finally registered who you ran into.


	3. That Split Lip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay Steven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, doing this from my phone blah blah formatting whatever. Anyway, I know where I'm going with this but _I don't know how I'm getting there_ , you feel me? So, sorry if this is weird or bad lol. This is gonna be wild for all of us, I guess. I have more written up but I had to cut it off here because drabble. So the next part will be up sooner rather than later lol.

“M– ma’am! Oh fuck, did I hurt you? Are you going into shock?,” Steve panicked and you just looked at him wide-eyed because UM DID CAPTAIN AMERICA JUST CURSE? IN FRONT OF YOU?

Steve, on the other hand, was mentally cursing himself for somehow managing to hurt such a pretty girl without even trying. Initially he had been a little blindsided by the spark he felt despite the unusual situation. Not a lot of people came to the park and that's why he liked it, that and it was close to his apartment he used to take time off from the team. His heart was thundering in his chest and he couldn't understand why he was so caught up in not wanting to mess things up with this distracted dog lady.

Both dogs, trained to help in stressful situations went into work mode as soon as they sensed the distress. Milo’s cold, wet nose jolting you out of your daze as he pushed his face under your hand. You snorted playfully and gave him a few good scratches behind his ears as a reward.

“You _are_ trained for something, huh buddy?,” you said as you stood shakily, wiping the dirt and grass off of your butt. Steve was paying attention to the dog in front of him who had quickly calmed his slightly panicked state. Your face broke out into a wide grin seeing this _(very attractive)_ giant of a man get lost in playing with his dog. It startled you slightly when his focus honed back in on you but you gave him a nervous smile. You had no idea if he any clue as to who you really were but getting far, far away from the handsome captain was probably in your best interest. Steve’s eyes lit up at your tentative smile, mostly just happy that you seemed alright.

“Sorry about, uh, plowing into you like that. I was lost in my own head and Milo here–,” you gave him a few pats on the head as he sat next to you happily. “–just took off after your dog’s frisbee before I could do anything. He saves all of his lack of impulse control for when he’s not on duty.” Steve let out an amused huff.

“That's okay, ma’am. I know how dog’s are.” He looks down at the dog beside him. “Lucky here always manages to cause trouble for me and he’s not even my dog. Watching him for a friend.” Steve laughed with a slight redness to his cheeks, his voice deep and baritone, and your heart practically melted on the spot. Ugh how can a guy who fights bad guys for a living manage to be so adorable? Your own wayward thoughts caused your cheeks to flush, and the rush of blood to your face made your nose throb painfully. You held in a groan and rubbed at your nose a bit in hopes that it would somehow help. In the process you realized that your crash with the Captain had reopened your split lip from last night.

“Aw jeez, I'm sorry, Captain,” you said behind your hand. “I totally got blood on your shirt.” You spied a few faint red blotches where your face connected with his chest. Steve gaped, realizing that the shiny redness of your lips wasn't just lip gloss. He visibly went into what you quickly deemed “Captain-mode” as soon as he realized you were bleeding, pulling out a soft grey handkerchief from the pocket of his jeans. He moved your hands out of the way and was relieved to see that it was only a split lip and not something worse. He dabbed the cloth on your lip and you had to ignore the thumping of your own heart with how close his face was to yours. Steve had to ignore the softness of your lips beneath the cloth.

“Really, I'm okay, Captain,” you said muffled under the cloth and he took his hand away as you brought yours back to hold it in place, electricity shot through your fingertips at the brief contact. You had to take a calming breath as you felt time slow around you just slightly, your body automatically wanting to preserve this moment just a little. You really hoped he hadn't noticed the shift.

“Now I've got blood on two of your things. Sorry about that, really,” you joked to cut the tension you were sure was only on your end. (Steve would beg to differ.)

“You're the one who’s hurt and you're apologizing? You split your lip running into me.” He smirked and you rolled your eyes playfully.

“S’only polite. Though I guess you might be a little used to getting blood on your clothes,” you mumbled but was sure he heard you. You picked up Milo’s leash in your free hand and gave Steve a half-smile as you took away the cloth. “I actually already had a split lip from, uh, something else, to be honest. Running into you just reopened it. My nose might be sore for a couple days, though.”

Lucky, who neither of you had noticed wander off, nudged the frisbee from before into the Captain’s hand and you smiled. “Looks like someone wants to keep playing. I'll let you two get back to it. This guy needs a few more miles in him before I have to get him home on time,” you said politely, not missing the Captain’s face fall slightly in disappointment. Steve mentally struggled to think of a way to get you to stay just a little bit longer. He hadn't even gotten your name and he knew from experience how hard it was to find someone in the city.

“Well, he could get in a good run playing with this right?,” Steve asked with a hopeful smile.

“Besides, I'd feel better if I knew for sure that you're alright. What if you have a concussion or something?,” he said playfully.

You barked out a laugh, ignoring the pain in your nose. “Really, Captain? You don't have to worry about that. I'm a little used to taking hits. It's not like you're that hard or– I mean, uh, I didn't mean–” you ended with a stammer. Did you really just mention Captain America being hard? “Ignore that,” you chuckled nervously and the Captain looked away with a teasing smiling. You both lapsed into an oddly comfortable silence for a moment until a frustrated Lucky tugged at the frisbee in Steve’s hand. Steve gave you another hopeful look and your unclipped the leash from Milo’s collar. They both bolted after the frisbee as soon as it left his hand, with Steve pitching it far across the field.

“So what was that about being used to taking hits?,” Steve asked as he turned to you with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading~ ❤️


	4. White Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony had FRIDAY programmed to alert them of any APBs or sightings when it came to “any people with a stupid rabbit mask fighting crime in a catsuit” but nothing had pinged for a over a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly this is mostly set up for other things lol

For the next two weeks after the last encounter with you, Tony and Bruce were holed up in the lab working on several different traps and scenarios to catch their ever-elusive target. It was surprisingly slow on the world-saving front as of late, so this was what SHIELD had tasked them with since you proved to be so evasive. They didn't think this one enhanced vigilante would actually prove to become a proverbial thorn in the Avenger’s side for so many months but that's what happened. Outside of other missions around the world, catching you had become their constant focus if only for the satisfaction of finishing the mission to bring you in.

They all knew that it was probably Fury’s aim to bring you into the fold either with the Avengers themselves or with SHIELD if that proved too difficult, not that he outright said it. At the very least you seemed like a good kid since you were fighting crime instead of committing it. All of them were pretty unsure of the possibility that you would join them considering how keen you seemed to be about protecting just Brooklyn, as that was the only place the “White Rabbit” ever showed up. It should've helped narrow their search with such a concentrated working area but they all knew how easy it was to blend in in New York.

At least it wasn't as much of a shitshow as trying to find the right person in Hell's Kitchen. You could probably randomly pick someone off of the street there and they would just happen to be a vigilante... Or a crime boss.

Tony had FRIDAY programmed to alert them of any APBs or sightings when it came to “any people with a stupid rabbit mask fighting crime in a catsuit” but nothing had pinged for a over a week. He was frustrated, that much was clear. He was growing increasingly impatient when it came to this particular mission. How was it so easy for him to find Peter (aka Spider-Man) before but not this one girl? There had to be something they were missing.

Bruce was mostly excited to work on such a challenging case. It proved to be a nice to distraction from his usually slow research on other things.

You had gotten away from Pietro when he had you in his arms, milliseconds away from unmasking you. You had managed to dodge all of Tony’s stun bullets and grenades. Two Super Soldiers managed to lose you when they had you already trapped in a net. Sam found Redwing half pinned under a dumpster when he finally got a trace on you after a fight. Bruce, Clint, and Nat didn't even bother trying other than showing up and watching the chaos ensue. Thor was off on Asgard somewhere and Peter had school and homework most days so there was no help on that front.

The two with the most promise of capturing you had to hold back in fear of seriously hurting you, as no one on the team really knew what your power set entailed. Vision had you up in the air once but again, you were gone in a split second and they had to clean up the rest of the bad guys you had to leave behind. Wanda especially avoided using her powers on you directly, not wanting any accidents. She didn't think that showing you your worst nightmares to bring you in was the best way to invite you onto the team. She tried encasing you with debris once but they just blinked and found an empty shell of concrete and a hole just big enough for you to escape from.

Needless to say they were baffled at how you managed to dig your way out so quickly.

 

* * *

 

Steve strolled into the lab looking a little distracted, both scientists barely acknowledging the new presence in the lab. Bruce was particularly engrossed in creating a powerful semi-permanent adhesive solution they could use to trap you without harming you directly. Kind of like a human glue trap of sorts. Tony was running figures on how this person could possibly move as fast as you had and time after time of botched numbers he knew something wasn't adding up.

“Have either of you seen Lucky? I, uh, felt like going to the park, figured he would want to go too.” Steve tried to seem nonchalant about his question but failed miserably. There was a reason they didn't like sending him out on undercover or covert missions, Steven Grant Rogers was not a good liar in the slightest. Tony looked up from his equations with an amused glance and a raised eyebrow.

“Haven't you gone to the park like every day for the past week or so? We all know you don't go to the one nearby,” Tony pointed out.

Steve rolled his eyes and huffed. “If he’s not here, I'm just gonna go. I don't know why I asked the two resident hermits.”

Without looking up from mixing compounds, Bruce piped up. “I think Clint took him to the vet today. Said he wasn't feeling well or something. So whatever secret girl you met at the park two weeks ago will just have to deal with you dogless, Captain.”

Steve gaped and turned beet red in an instant. “Can't a guy just go to the park in fuckin’ peace?,” he squawked.

“Of course you can, Capsicle. But remember you live and work in a building with two master spies who are top tier assassins, another half-frozen nonagenarian, an all too nosy billionaire, and mega-gossip of the century Sam Wilson. Did you really think we weren't going to find out with how you've been acting for the past however many days?” Tony asked with a teasing smile.

Steve groaned as he left the room, too annoyed at the situation to even bother with entertaining Tony’s question. Of course they would find out about the cute girl he liked talking to, the whole situation let him feel a little bit normal when his world was anything but. He knew that they probably had a whole profile on you by now including all of your regular clients as a dog walker and the students in your self defense class for teens. Hell, they probably knew more about you than he did at this point.

He sighed tiredly as he left the building, opting to take the subway over to Brooklyn to maybe catch you at the park and finally work up the nerve to ask you out for dinner. He had already gotten your phone number so that was a good step. He was about halfway to the station when an alert blasted out of his phone. He pulled the thing out of pocket and his jaw locked at reading the message from FRIDAY that was sent to the entire team.

[NYPD: Bank Robbery. Four suspects, all heavily armed. Taking hostages. One potential enhanced on the scene…]

He sighed and doubled back to the Tower, knowing that the team was restless for some action and he'd have to be there to reign them in. Hopefully you would still have time before your class to meet with him. He sent you a quick text saying he would most likely be late and you quickly replied that it was alright as you would be too.

At least this way of getting to Brooklyn was faster than the subway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❤️ You're adorable and I love you. Hope you're having a good day. Okay bye~


	5. "You know what, Romanov–"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the reader is a little shit and has fun with stickers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is becoming not a drabble series but I'll try to reign it in for the next chapter lol

Time slowed to a stuttering crawl around you as soon as you burst through the vent into the bank. Situations like this were best dealt with all at once rather than in fits and starts. It kept the most amount of people from getting hurt. Blinking was for people who actually deserved a fight.

There were three guys decked out in tactical gear, machine guns raised toward the ceiling as they yelled orders to the patrons still inside the bank. Half of the people were in the middle of dropping to the ground while others were desperately trying to scramble out of the building. You jogged past a few frantic almost-hostages to the guy on top of the counter yelling at the bank tellers. The poor woman was in the middle of stuffing thousands of dollars into a duffel bag provided by the would-be crooks.

You knocked the guy down onto the ground with a heavy thud then got to work on his buddies. You disarmed all of them, emptying the clips of their guns and turning the safeties back on. Those got placed in a neat pile on the counter to be collected later by the police. You quickly gathered up their bodies in a circle, making sure they were back to back for the next bit.

The thing you loved about tac-suits was the sheer amount of buckles and snaps to keep things together. You took a few borrowed minutes painstakingly attaching all of their buckles to the person next to them and vice versa. Then you pulled the thin parachute cord and zip ties from your pack. The cord was lightweight but super strong so it was great for keeping in your pack. You wrapped it around them a few times, taking the time to tie a pretty bow. You bound their wrists together with zip ties then carefully pulled up all of their ski masks so everyone would know their faces.

Eugh, gross. That last guy was not in good shape. All covered in burn scars and his face was like half melted or something.

Since you didn't stop time completely as you did all that, people began to notice your blurry movements. Underneath the rabbit mask (that you only picked out because it was the cutest and most durable one at the store), you smiled cheerily at their awed faces and saluted the police officers that barged through the front doors with your elegantly gloved fingers. Though they probably couldn't register what you did, to be fair. It might be fun for them to see later if the security footage had enough frames to pick up your movements.

You exited the bank quickly, slipping past the panicked patrons and tired police officers when–

_Swoosh!_

Involuntarily, time around you had stopped completely, everyone around you at a complete standstill. There was an arrow poised mid-air about a centimeter away from your face, the tip about to burst into what you knew was another net trap. With a smirk you took the arrow and turned it around in the archers direction. The speed it had being going would probably carry it back to the archer in question, trapping him instead.

To your left was the actual speedster of their group, he was mid-sprint, probably on route to grab you right after the net hit. The silvery-haired Sokovian was the one you loved to mess with the most. For all intents and purposes, you weren't actually faster than him but you loved acting like you were as they clearly hadn't figured out your powers just yet. You pulled out a sheet of way too adorable rabbit stickers that you had been saving for the next time you met the Avengers. You placed one on his cheek and another on his butt cheek for good measure. Oh, and the tail of the net-arrow definitely needed a sticker too.

Knowing that you didn't have a lot of time of your own to keep everything completely stopped like this, you ran over to where the rest of the team was springing into action. Bucky’s arm got a sticker right over the new white star. Iron Man got one right in the middle of his face plate. Bruce Banner, looking all too much like he didn't want to be there, got one on the clipboard he was holding and you were careful not to cover his obvious research. The Black Widow got one on her forehead and one on the barrel of her stun gun. Vision, Falcon, and the Scarlet Witch were too high up for you to reach so there was nothing to do about that.

Saving the best for last, you put away the rabbit stickers and pulled out the sheet full of kiss marks and hearts for a certain Captain. You had talked to him almost everyday for the past couple of weeks, being all too obvious about your crush on the man out of time. It was cool, right? Clearly you had way too much time on your hands. You could tell he might have wanted to ask you out, maybe? It wasn't clear if he wanted a “”normal“” friend to talk to or if it was something more. Not that he could get a normal friend out of someone who was secretly a masked vigilante.

When he asked for your number a week ago you had hoped he would try to set something else up. You know like a date or something but he hadn't… yet. Whatever, at least as the White Rabbit you could be a bit more obvious about your feelings for the Captain.

Steve’s jaw was tense, in the middle of barking out orders to his team. His arm was out, pointing in the direction of the bank you just vacated. You put a heart on the end of his finger and put a few different kiss marks on his cheeks and beautifully chiseled jawline. You put a heart over the star on the middle of his chest, right about where you plowed into him the first time you met at the park. The last sticker you had to tiptoe a bit to get the A on his helmet with a kiss mark. You couldn't help but giggle to yourself at the sight of the Avengers all covered in cute stickers, letting go of your hold over time as you slunk away towards your apartment.

* * *

Within the blink of an eye their whole improvised plan went to complete shit. Barton had somehow gotten tagged with his own net-arrow and Pietro almost ran into a street lamp instead of grabbing the girl that was supposed to be right in front of him. They all sighed and moved to pack away their gear when they slowly noticed the… stickers?

Rabbit stickers all over everyone on the ground.

Well… except someone who got special treatment and was as red as a tomato for the second time today. Bucky had a shit-eating grin looking over at his best friend. Steve peeled off the kiss stickers on his cheeks, the disbelief evident on his face.

Natasha snorted as she peeled the rabbit sticker off of her stun gun. “Looks like someone has a crush on Captain America, huh?”

“You know what, Romanov–”

But he was cut off as the police were bringing out the bank robbers in handcuffs, eyes locked on the one and only Brock Rumlow who they had been on the search for as well. Steve could feel Bucky’s rage rolling off of him in waves. There were so many questions running through his head but he managed to call out to one of the police officers, letting the police know that the Avengers would be taking these people into custody instead. He raked a hand over his face as he let out a tired sigh.

At least they finished one mission, right? Just not the one they came here for. Hopefully he’d still have time to make it to the park today.


	6. “Oh yeah? Because I distinctly remember–”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Stark. Not Iron Man. Bucky. A lot of dogs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This _completely_ got away from me lmao but I liked it too much to cut it into a drabble or multiple parts. Plus, I have my internet back now anyway so I don’t need to worry about keeping it short for my phone lol. I’ll go back to actual drabble-sized chapters after this. Juuust think of it as a bonus/double chapter since I didn’t upload yesterday lol.
> 
> Warning(s): casual swearing and a lot of dogs

“Why do I even bother putting on the suit?,” Tony asked with an exasperated sigh. He plopped down on the bar stool next to the kitchen island and slumped forward, head resting on the on the back of his arms.

“Rhetorical question,” he quickly added before anyone bothered to tease him.

“You’re just upset because we can’t just go in there and blow shit up and hope for the best. We’re bringing someone in. Maybe onto the team if we’re lucky because who knows what would happen if someone else got to this kid first. This whole situation needs Tony Stark, the genius. Not Iron Man,” Nat explained as she entered the kitchen, Clint following her closely from behind.

“I already said this once, Tony. We have to trap this kid. Outsmart her. That should kind of be your thing. Showing up whenever she decides to fight crime hasn’t been cutting it since we were put on this mission.” Nat pulled some leftover pizza out of the fridge and started eating it cold.

Clint scoffed. “Nat, I get what you’re saying but that’s easier said than done. The kid’s basically roadrunner at this point and you want to go even more Wile E. Coyote on her? It’s not gonna work.”

Nat glared at the purple-loving archer but knew he was at least partially right. Tony huffed and left for the lab to get more work done. As per usual, Nat was right. They needed Tony Stark, not Iron Man.

* * *

Steve wandered around the park, unsure of how long he should wait before texting you again. Now that the mission had ended as abruptly as it started and SHIELD had carted off Rumlow and his thugs, he was actually early for your rescheduled meeting time. The park had become a small sanctuary for him like no other place had. He finally felt like he had a place, and a person, outside of work to just learn how to be Steve Rogers instead of Captain America. He sat down on an aging wooden bench overlooking a small pond.

At the same time, he knew that if he continued seeing you, as friends or he hoped maybe more when either of you plucked up the courage, that the relationship could put you in a lot of danger. Steve Rogers had a lot of enemies, even just the ones he knew about were more than enough of a threat to really make him consider whether or not he could pursue a relationship with a civilian.

Still, even just thinking about you made his heart flutter in his chest. It made him feel like that scrawny, sixteen year-old kid with asthma and whatever else he used to have way back when. You were beautiful, even and especially in just jeans and loose sweaters. You were wicked smart but still able to explain just about anything to him without making him feel like an idiot (unlike Stark or even Dr. Banner). And damn you were so adorable when you got nervous around him and started rambling. He ran a hand over his jaw, slightly obscuring the small smile that had grown on his face while he thought of you.

He sighed, dropping his head as he slumped forward. He held his head in his hands as he wracked his brain over where he wanted to take this relationship. He knew it would be something special but the thought of putting you in danger was maybe too much for him–

“Was this park even here when we were kids?” Bucky cut through his thoughts, sitting down next to his best friend. Steve quickly relaxed at the intrusion, knowing that there wasn’t a threat.

“Well, my apartment with ma is about 3 blocks that way and yours is in the other direction.” Both places had been preserved after their “deaths” and made into historic locations, an eerie reminder of their shared past.

“So I think this was probably about where the Johnson’s lived and that one diner with the year-round strawberry milkshakes is now a pond,” Steve mused but the nostalgia was short-lived. He looked up at his friend with a grumpy look that softened just a bit at his friend’s good-natured smirk. He sighed in response. “What are you doing here, Buck?”

“Well, same as you, I guess. Y/N, right? I’m keen on meeting this girl you won’t talk about. Seems like she already has you wrapped around her little finger.” He threw his arm over the back of the bench, his metal arm. Surprisingly he was wearing a short sleeved shirt instead of his usual long sleeved henleys and Steve felt good that Bucky was getting better at not trying to hide anymore.

“I’m still getting to know her, Buck. I don’t want to scare her away by meeting the whole team or everyone tracking her down for no reason…” Steve grumbled.

Bucky chuckled and pushed at Steve’s shoulder before returning his arm to the back of the bench. “We’re just trying to be sure that the girl vying for Captain America’s heart has good intentions. I mean, fuck–” Buck laughed. “Remember when Wilson almost started dating that active HYDRA agent? Not a good day at the office, if I remember correctly.”

“You all know who she is by now, hell you probably know more about her than I do. She goes to school and walks dogs for a living, I highly doubt she’s some secret villain in disguise.”

Bucky shrugged with a sly smile. “As long as you know what you’re doing, pal. You do know what you’re getting into, don’t you?,” Buck ended seriously but it wasn’t harsh.

“I– I don’t know. I mean, I do but…  She’s a civilian, Buck.We don’t exactly have a lot of shared experiences. Just being near me puts her in danger–” Steve let out a rough sigh, mumbling under his breath. “I feel like there’s something good there, Buck. With her I’m not just Captain America and, I don’t know, sometimes it’s nice just to be Steve,” he tried to explain.

“I get it. Basically, you’re stuck on this girl but you don’t want to put her in harm’s way?”

Steve nodded, looking to his friend for a possible solution.

“Well, I’m pretty sure you’re the one who tells me this all the time but it works for you here. Don’t let fear rule your life, pal. You let them take that happiness away before it even starts then you’re letting them win.”

Steve chuckled, knowing he had said almost exactly the same thing to Buck when he first arrived at the Tower, months after the battle at the Triskelion. He had been having a hard time trying to start living his own life then and Steve was happy to see how much his friend had grown.

“Thanks, Buck. I needed that.”

“S’alright. That’s what I’m always here for. Keeping your ass in line and out of the fire,” he joked.

“Oh yeah? Because I distinctly remember–”

But Steve was cut off by the sound of many, many dogs barking all at once. He turned in his seat, going wide-eyed as he saw you turn the corner with way more than your usual three or four dogs. There was a huge grin on your face as your hands gripped TEN different leashes, clearly on your way to the small fenced-in area of the park where you usually met up with Steve the past couple weeks. Your eyes met and your smile turned warm, butterflies erupting into a frenzy in his chest.

“Hey! You’re a little early,” you spoke, stopping as close as you could get to the bench with ten dogs around you. “I was gonna text you but–” You shrugged your arms, noting the many, many excited dogs around you. You glanced over at the other super soldier on the bench next to him, unsure of why he was here too.

“Doll, you normally only have like three or four dogs. What’s up?” Steve asked, ignoring the playful smirk his best friend was sporting over calling you ‘doll’.

You let out a nervous chuckle and tried not to take notice of the warmth on your cheeks. He had never called you a pet name before and you had to admit that you kind of liked it. More than kind of, really. He also said it in front of who you knew was his best friend since childhood and that somehow made it feel more real. “Well, uh, my client today called in a favor asking if I could help walk these dogs they’re training for the VA. They’re clearly a little wound up, so I said yes. They’re actually training to help vets with PTSD,” you said with a proud smile.

“They have dogs for that?” The other man said hopefully and you turned your smile on him with a nod. You knew a little bit about his past. What you could glean from the news and interviews, of course. So you knew it was more than likely that he was dealing with PTSD from those events.

“Yeah, it’s totally cool! And hi, I’m Y/N, if you didn’t already know. I didn’t know I’d be meeting up with two super soldiers today. Not that I’m complaining, Sergeant Barnes,” you laughed. “I’d shake your hand or something but… you know” You said gesturing to the dogs.

“Why don’t we move over there so they can let loose?” Steve suggested, nodding towards the fence. The three of you made your way over with a minimal amount of tripping over the dogs. One dog, a brindle pitbull-mix, had taken a particular liking to your new metal-armed friend. You unclipped all of their leashes once you were inside the fence and most of them took off like rockets. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle when they all basically lined up and started sniffing at the perimeter of the fence like they were trained.

“Are they…?” Steve wondered aloud and you caught him and Bucky watching the dogs. You snorted happily, catching their attention.

“Like I said, they’re being trained to help vets living with PTSD. Like Lucky, they know when their owner is stressed and try to get your attention to break that spiral. They also do stuff like this–” You gestured to the dogs still checking out the area. “Where they do perimeter and room checks before their handlers go in. They’ll be able to help in a medical crisis or when someone gets emotionally overloaded too.” Steve raised an eyebrow in your direction and you laughed.

“I volunteer at the center sometimes when I have the time. You know, since dogs are kinda my thing.” Along with stopping time and being a vigilante but they clearly didn’t need to know that right now. “The guy who runs it is one of my clients,” you explained as it was clear that he was wondering why you knew so much about it.

Bucky, on the other hand, was now distracted by that same pit-mix who had fallen in love so immediately. “And, um, how do you go about getting one of these dogs, Y/N?,” Bucky asked timidly as he pet the dog trying to meld itself with his legs.

“Oh! Well, most of these guys are still in-training so they won’t be ready for a while. And half of them are already owned by people. They’re just staying at the center for training.” He looked crestfallen and you hurriedly continued. “But! I know for a fact that that big guy right there,” you said pointing to the pit-mix. “…Is actually not spoken for yet! He came in as a rescue about a week or so ago from a high-kill ‘shelter’. He blasted through the first few training classes with flying colors. And–”

Steve, only half-paying attention to the conversation, was in awe of the way you handled yourself around his friend. It was clear that there wasn’t any judgement, fear, or even the normal wariness he gets from most people because of his past. He snapped back into himself when you suddenly took off, scaling the fence completely in a way that seemed practiced, running after one of the dogs that was very interested in a squirrel a few metres away.

“Hell, punk, if you don’t make a proper move on this dame, I sure as hell will,” Bucky said with a cocky smirk. Steve tensed and gave a swift punch to his friend’s non-metal shoulder. “Hands off, jerk. I saw her first.”

Bucky laughed and clapped his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I’m just kiddin’, I’m just kiddin’. Seriously, though, I can see why you’re already so smitten.  She seems like a nice girl. Hell, if that fence jump was any indication, at least you know she knows how to run away if someone goes after her. Plus, I have no doubt that the whole team will love her after meeting her once.”

Steve scoffed but smiled. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure about that too,” he spoke softly. He was watching you as you curled a hand around the dog’s collar to bring it back to the fence area, making goofy scolding noises as you walked back. Your hair was windswept from running and despite your irritation, it was clear that you were still having fun with the dog. Bucky could see the soft look in his friend’s eyes and held in a laugh. It was so fucking obvious it almost hurt. Steve Rogers had it so bad for this girl.


	7. “Alright, sour patch kids. Watch this.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ┐(￣∀￣)┌ A lot of snippy people and not-science, y'all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably super inaccurate and not at all scientifically sound. I’m literally just making this up as I go so… ┐(￣∀￣)┌ If shit like that annoys you, feel free to skip this chapter because that’s all this is and not much happens besides more set up lol.
> 
> Warnings: Injured reader, probably swearing I don’t remember, a lot of not-science lol

Bruce sauntered into the common room, head low and not paying attention to his fellow teammates as he scrolled through data on his tablet. He was so close to finding the perfect adhesive compound for the trap. Incredibly strong, fast-acting, non-toxic, little to no impact on the environment, and easy to clean up once it dried completely. Just peel it up and wash away any leftovers. After a few trial runs in the lab, he was sure it would prove to be extremely useful in capturing their potential teammate for more than a minute.

Sam spoke from the attached open living room, laid out on the couch with his arm slung over his eyes, most of the team scattered throughout the common room. “–It’s only thing that’s got a chance of workin’, Men in Tights. We clearly can’t trace or track her or even get a lock on who she is under that mask. We already tried voice recognition and FRIDAY didn’t get anything from it. We gotta figure out how to  _ keep _ her in one place for more than a split second–”

“So, get this–,” Tony rushed into the common room, cutting off Sam’s diatribe. From his tablet Stark took control of the TV which was on mute because no one was watching. The videos he pulled up were paused with you clear in the middle of the frame, working on tying up the ex-HYDRA agents turned bank robbers. Four different angles of a masked woman in a bunny mask taking care of armed bank robbers.

“Security footage from the bank yesterday?,” Bruce asked as he looked up from his research.

“Yessir,” he replied, tapping mindlessly on the counter next to him. “This is the first time we’ve gotten so much of her in one go so I was analyzing the footage and I found something  _ very enlightening,  _ I must say.”

“Get on with it, Stark.” Clint said in a clipped tone, already in a sour mood from arguing about their target. From the air in the room he could tell most of them were in similar moods. The whole team had congregated in the common room to discuss the situation but their two super soldiers were surprisingly missing again today.

“Alright, sour patch kids. Watch this,” he said as he pressed play.

The footage was black and white but pretty well-defined, a few different angles recorded from above. They watched you flit around the bank, the footage making it seem like you jumped in and flitted around the room. It wasn't terribly blurry like anyone would expect with a speedster, as if you were moving so fast that the camera didn't even have the capacity to catch you for more than a few frames. At one point you even showed up in two different spots simultaneously. Tony paused it again on a frame of you saluting the police as they barged in. Most of the team was confused, anxiously waiting for their two resident scientists to make a proper conclusion.

“Speedy, do me a favor,  _ por favor _ ,” Tony spoke. Pietro, who was sitting with his sister on the couch, raised an eyebrow in response. “Just, uh, do a run around the room for me so FRIDAY can pick up the footage. He did just that, Wanda barely having enough time to register that he had moved away from her as the only indication that he had was her hair blowing in the breeze he created. Tony pulled up the new video next to the bank footage.

He played the clips simultaneously, but slowed down to really analyze the differences. He had already done something similar in the lab but he mostly did it to make a point. While yours was choppy, eerily clear, and all over the place, Pietro moved in one fluid motion across the room. The air moved around him and papers skittered across the coffee table in his wake and the frames blurred. Tony paused the videos again and looked up at his team expectantly. “Any takers? Raise your hands, class, c’mon. No?,” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“How is that even possible?,” Bruce asked incredulously as he crossed the room to look at Tony’s tablet. “Speed like that– She’d have to be moving faster than, hell, not just sound but light too probably. Barely anything’s disturbed or knocked over. It’s only catching her in certain frames. Look at this,” Bruce scrubbed forward to a particular frame that had actually caught your movement. “She’s literally plucking bullets out of the air!”

“Okay, but what does that mean for us?” Nat asked from her perch on the kitchen counter.

“Well, Romanov. I'm not exactly sure. We’re clearly going about this all wrong. Either she’s so fast she can't be caught– or we were wrong in assuming that her abilities are similar to Sonic the Hedgehog over there.”

“I have redo the calculations for my compound,” Bruce spoke as he gathered up his things and made to leave for the lab. He waited in front of the door to the elevator as it ticked its way up the floors.

“Okay, so what... is she super fast or not?” Clint asked to no one in particular. A few of them just shrugged but no one answered as no one actually knew.

“What if she’s like blinking around the room? Or phasing around to different places?,” Sam suggested.

“Maybe she’s in a different dimension when she does these things? It would explain the rabbit mask. Like Alice in Wonderland,” Wanda added.

“Okay, we can figure this out some other time. What do we do about trapping the sonofa-” But Clint cut himself off when the elevator doors finally opened to reveal their two missing super soldiers, a dog he didn’t recognize, and… a girl in Cap’s arms?

“R-r-really, Steve. I can just go to the emergency room by my apartment or something, it’s probably just a sprain. I- I don’t need  _ Bruce Banner, world renowned nuclear physicist,  _ to look at my ankle. I’m sure he’s doing like really important science stuff and-” You squeaked when you realized that the elevator doors had finally opened. Literally all of the Avengers were looking at you, minus their actual Norse God who was elsewhere, perched in Steve’s arms with a swollen ankle that looked pretty rough.

“Oh geez… umm… Hi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also can I just thank y'all for all the kudos and comments I've been getting on this fic tho?? Because y'all are amazing tbh and it gives me life lol. I'ma finish this out soon-ish (only a handful of chapters left) and get back to my other stories. :p


	8. "That's it!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _DID THEY SERIOUSLY NOT KNOW?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally googled “expensive rugs” or something like that and that’s what came up lol. That’ll make sense later. :p
> 
> **Warnings:** Nervous/Anxious Reader, Injured Reader, They’re a family that likes to argue lol, Mentions of dog vomit, Language

Seeing the dull swell of your ankle, Bruce visibly snapped into medical doctor-mode, motioning for the Captain to bring you further into the room. Steve was careful not to let your ankle get hit on anything on the way in. He set you down gently on top of the kitchen island as Dr. Banner pulled in front of you on a stool with a medkit they kept under the sink. You kept your eyes on your hands which were fidgeting with the edge of your thick gray woolen sweater.

_They had to know._

_How could they not know by now?_

_Not that you had willingly given them any hints or anything–_

_Were all the meetings with Cap just some weird way of giving you a false sense of security?_

_That would suck because you were really starting to like him and–_

_There was no other reason for them to bring you all the way to the Tower for this._

_They’re like super smart geniuses and super spies, THEY HAVE TO KNOW BY NOW._

_**Oh god are they going to arrest you??** _

A sharp pain from your ankle snapped you back to the present and you were thankful nothing timey-wimey happened since emotional stress can make your powers go a little wonky. You hissed as Dr. Banner carefully prodded at your ankle. You were wearing a pair of deep blue thermal leggings, one leg was hiked up a bit to reveal your swollen ankle. You followed his instructions trying to move it here and there, gritting your teeth every time it moved in a weird way.

“Well, you’re probably right. It does look like a sprain but I can’t be 100% sure without an x-ray. What happened?” The doctor spoke in a soothing voice.

“Well, uh, I um, I mean we were out and about walking Courage so he and Bucky could get to know each other and–”

“Is Courage your dog?,” Clint asked looking slightly excited over the new dog. He had half a mind to go get Lucky out of his apartment but he didn’t know the other dogs temperament just yet.

“Uhh, n-no actually. Courage is from the training center I volunteer at sometimes. They train dogs for people with disabilities. Courage is training to be a therapy dog for people, veterans specifically, with PTSD. He kind of fell in love with Bucky at the park yesterday and–”

“So Barnes can get a pet but I cannot?,” Pietro asked incredulously from across the room.

“If the dog keeps Robo-cop from going into Mr. Freeze-mode and tearing up my tower than I am all for him getting a canine companion. I mean, it can’t possibly make more of a mess than Barton’s dog. At least this guy is getting proper training.” Tony quipped.

“ _Hey_! Lucky is a great dog and I’ve totally trained him!,” Clint huffed.

“He stole half a box of pizza then threw it up all over my antique Persian Sarouk Farahan Rug before anyone could get to him! That is not a trained dog!,” Tony barked, setting his tablet down on the counter with a clack.

“Whatever! Him getting sick doesn’t mean he’s not trained, Stark! Just get the fuckin’ thing cleaned already. I already cleaned up all of the pizza,” Clint groused. Your eyes darted back and forth between the two bickering Avengers.

“ _Just get it cleaned?!_ That rug is almost $200,000, Barton! Your dog probably ruined it for all I know!”

“Who the fuck buys a $200,000 rug and actually puts it on the _ground_?,” Sam asked with a disbelieving look at Stark.

“Stay out of this, Wilson! Don’t even get me started on your stupid Redwing!” Tony yelled.

“Redwing’s a frigging drone, what the hell could he have possibly done?!” Sam said getting up off of the couch.

_**“Enough!”** _

Bruce’s voice bellowed and echoed around the room, everyone’s mouths snapped shut immediately. You were wound up and tense, wringing your sweater in your hands. You fought the urge to stop time and run away on the off chance that maybe they really didn’t know your secret identity. You know, since they made no mention of it or the fact that you were all over their TV in footage from the bank.

Your head snapped up when you felt Steve’s hand on the small of your back, rubbing small circles to soothe your very obvious anxiety. You gave him a shaky smile, taking several deep breaths while they continued to grumble and bicker despite Dr. Banner’s initial exclamation. He looked up at you with a tired but good-natured expression that said to you, “Why do I choose to deal with these people everyday?” Which made you hold in a snicker.

“Anyway, tell me what happened, Y/N,” he said calmly but your eyes went wide.

“Wait. H-how do you know my name? I never got to introduce myself.”

“Well, Cap lives with three master assassins-slash-spies, an incredibly nosy billionaire, and Samuel Thomas Wilson. So, they were bound to find out about his very obvious crush on this girl he met at the park by his Brooklyn apartment… They looked you up to make sure you had pure intentions for their son,” he joked. You didn’t think your eyes could go any wider, darting up to look at Steve who was now redder than a tomato but definitely not refuting the doctor’s claims. It was hard to hide the smile that grew on your face and you looked away out of nervousness.

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t sent to lull you into a false sense of security over getting arrested.

_Maybe._

“Oh, well, um, I mean, maybe don’t tell him but I might have a crush on him too,” you whispered even though you knew Steve was right next to the both of you and could hear you quite clearly. “And I promise my intentions are pure. Well, okay, maybe not entirely pure ‘cause Steve’s really cute but like they’re good intentions and– oh my god I totally said that out loud, Jesus Christ. I just said that to _world-renowned nuclear physicist_ Bruce Banner. I’m dying, excuse me, I have to go.” You faked like you were going to get off the counter but Steve stopped you. He had a smirk on his face that was the epitome of smug and you could see Bucky behind him was trying to keep from laughing.

You hid your face in your sweater and Dr. Banner patted your bad ankle. You let out a pitiful whine, trying to pull it away from him. He held it firmly in place and you felt him start to wrap your ankle in an ace bandage. You pulled your sweater back down to watch, still acutely aware that the two super soldiers next to you were too smug for their own good.

“Why is the wrap gray?,” you asked out of curiosity. “Isn’t it normally that gross beige color?”

Bruce let out an amused huff as he finished off the wrap. “This one was developed by Stark but hasn’t been put to market since the base materials are pretty expensive for mass production.”

“Um… should I like return it when my ankle’s better??” you questioned but Bruce shook his head with a smile. “You’re alright. This kind of thing barely costs him anything anyway. We’ve got a ton of these laying around the Tower.”

The TV caught your attention as Stark started to play through the footage of you _–The White Rabbit–_ from the bank and you were surprised to see how the video compared to the one of their actual speedster running around the room you were currently in. Steve coughed awkwardly to get the team’s attention, eyes darting in your direction to remind them that there was a civilian in their midst. Stark just shrugged with a smirk.

“Whatever, Cap. It’s not like knowing this shit will put your ‘best girl’ in more danger. In fact, maybe she can help. What were you studying again? Theoretical Physics, right?” Tony said, wiggling his finger in your direction as he moved closer.

“I mean, yeah, but I’m just an undergrad,” you answered honestly, still weirded out that they knew so much about the regular you.

“Hey, I saw those rough drafts for your thesis work. Pretty interesting ideas there, especially the bits about time manipu…lation. _**That’s it!**_ ,” he exclaimed as he slammed his hands down on the counter next to you, making you jump.

“What’s it?” Steve asked tentatively, his hand still low on your back and anchoring you to the present.

Tony gestured to the White Rabbit on the TV. “She’s not fast, Cap. She’s slowing everything else down around her! It makes perfect sense! That’s why the camera’s too slow to catch her and why it looks like she can show up in multiple places!”

Your heart was loud in your ears as Tony looked straight at you while he said all of that. But instead of finally outing you like you thought they would have several minutes ago, he just pats your shoulder excitedly and storms off to his lab. Bruce left shortly after but not before giving you a few doctor’s orders about your ankle, the whole interaction with both scientists leaving you horribly baffled.

_DID THEY SERIOUSLY NOT KNOW?!_

“Wh-why are you guys so interested in the White Rabbit anyway?” you asked timidly to no one in particular but you could feel the team’s eyes on you. “I mean, the news said she’s just a –what’s it called– mutant vigilante or something?”

Surprisingly, Bucky was the one to answer your question. He was crouched low on the floor, busy petting Courage who was getting a bit antsy after not finishing his run. “Well, if Stark’s right and this kid can manipulate time or something, whatever he said. Then we’d rather have her on our side before some random evil organization gets to her first.”

“She’s only done good things so far. Why would she go with the bad guys?” you questioned.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest, a serious look on his face as he stared at the masked woman on the screen. “She seems like a good kid with good intentions. Whoever she is, since we still haven’t figured that one out yet. But a few of us know from experience that the bad guys usually aren’t ones to convince people willingly. We’d rather get her onto the team before anyone else attempts to do that.”

“ _Wait, wait, wait. You want m– HER TO BE AN **AVENGER?**_ ,” you squawked.


	9. “Okay, everyone. Family meeting.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader thinks about stuff and plans get set in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, this chapter was a bit of a slog for me to write, hence the 5 days in-between posting, but hopefully it's an okay chapter? It's another super long one because whatever. ╮(︶▽︶)╭ We're _almost_ in the homestretch here y'all but not quite lol. We'll see how that goes lol. ♥
> 
> Warnings: Language (as always lol), a probably excessive use of all caps, and I think that's it this time around

They were serious.

They seriously weren't even trying to _arrest_ you.

What the actual fuck?!

_THEY WANTED YOU TO BE AN AVENGER._

Well, technically not you specifically because they didn't know your secret identity but _THEY WANTED THE WHITE RABBIT TO BE AN AVENGER FOR FUCK’S SAKE_.

WHICH WAS YOU _SO??_

JUST. UGH. WHAT?!

After your seemingly unusual outburst and subsequent vague cover up, you gave them a few rushed but technically true excuses and hobbled away from the Avengers Tower with the crutches Steve forced on you so you could head to class for the day. Now, normally, you would have skipped today since it was one of those obnoxiously huge “I definitely never take attendance or learn my students names” kind of classes where all the work is turned in online. But you wanted something mindless to maybe take your mind off the fact that _the Avengers_ (and SHIELD) wanted you to maybe think about expanding the area you swore to protect.

Thing is, though, going from just one borough to basically the entire world (and who knows maybe the galaxy or something??) was kind of a huge leap. Every time you had fought with (and occasionally against) the Avengers, they had not once stopped and told you “Hey, we’d like to invite you to the Avengers Initiative.” or whatever they _should_ say to someone they want on their team.

Not.

Once.

It was just a lot of punching and shooting and stupidly ineffective nets while they decidedly avoided just telling you, or rather The White Rabbit, why they had taken such a strong interest in capturing you.

So you had gotten it into your head that SHIELD just wanted to capture and arrest you for being a vigilante. Which was fair since your “”hobby“” was still _mostly_ illegal, even if your intentions were good. The Avengers actually had _permission_ to fight crime, unlike you. Regardless of that fact, even if it was fair to do so, that didn’t mean you _wanted_ to get taken in by the Avengers / SHIELD so you did what you did best. You ran away.

But would you have gone with them if they had told you before all that? Did you want that kind of life?

You sat down outside of a coffee shop a few blocks away from where your class was held, propping the crutches against the opposite chair. The cold metal of the chair was jarring even through the layers of clothes you had on but it wasn’t unwelcome. It helped a bit with focusing your racing thoughts. Besides, there was no way you’d make it to class on time like this or without using your powers, so why bother? You had a lot to process at the moment and avoiding it just wasn't on the menu for today anymore.

You honestly had no idea what you wanted, though. Now that you knew why they were after you, it didn't really lessen your instinct to run away. Not that you could technically run anywhere right now with your ankle all wrapped up. Steve, during one of your talks at the park, had told you how hard it was to live like they did, only vaguely mentioning things that were certainly classified for a civilian like yourself.

But he was clear about the little to no privacy, the paparazzi they always had to lose when they left the Tower, the constant threat of danger, the lack of down time to spend with people outside of their line of work.

You had idolized them for a long time. It was part of the reason you started fighting crime to begin with but did you want to be one of them too? Steve had said that knowing other people got to be happy and live their lives in peace was enough but by the tone of his voice, you weren't so sure that was the whole truth.

But you could do a lot of good if you joined them. So much good. Maybe a lot more than what you were doing  now in Brooklyn. How many more lives could you save with their resources and training?

And then there was the whole friendship, maybe a little bit more because of your apparently mutual feelings towards each other, that you had with Steve. How would he react if he knew that you weren't as ‘normal’ as he thought? You _technically_ didn't lie to him since he didn't actually _ask_ if you were the White Rabbit but the secret still weighed heavy on your heart.

Would he think you had some weird ulterior motive by hanging out with him?

You didn't really intend on getting close to the Captain, especially in such a short amount of time, but he kept showing up at the park, saying his apartment was nearby. In actuality, nearby meant the eerily quiet apartment on the top floor of your building. He hardly ever had the time to actually stay there for more than a few days at a time which is why you had never run into him in the halls. The thought of being kind of neighbors with Captain America for so long was a little strange.

He was so nice and super sweet and kind of a little shit sometimes but you couldn’t deny that you liked his cheeky side too. He was also a lot smarter than people assumed he was, it was just harder to look smart among geniuses and the like. He told you a lot of stories about what Brooklyn was like when he was a kid and despite knowing the basic story of his life it still sent you for a loop how old he actually was. You didn’t even want to get started on how _unbelievably_ attractive he was too. _And he liked you._ He didn’t deny having feelings _for you._

He was basically everything you’d ever think you’d want in a boyfriend but how attainable was that in either situation?

On the one hand he’d be this larger than life figure dating you, this supposedly normal person. There wouldn’t be a lot he could talk to you about work-wise and that was practically his entire life most days. And then there would be the waiting and worrying while he’s out on missions or just plain saving the world. You'd have to lie _a lot_ to keep your secret.

But then there was the fact that you were putting yourself in more and more danger being on your own. Who knows how many people were after you right now? Steve and the others were sure that they weren’t the only ones looking to “recruit” the White Rabbit.

You couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.

You shakily stood from the chair, making sure not to put any pressure on your bad ankle and headed inside of the cafe where it was warm. It felt a little safer not being out in the open, even if there was a ton of people around. You ordered a warm drink and the cashier was kind enough to take it to you instead of making you wait at the counter on your crutches.

You sat down in a back corner of the cafe in a particularly comfy looking armchair that sunk beautifully under your weight. It was in a small circle of chairs of similar shape and size, probably meant to be a meeting place of sorts. You let out a rough sigh and swiped a hand down your face, barely managing a small smile when the cashier brought you your drink. You took a few careful sips and set the smooth paper cup down on the small table next to you.

This was a lot for you to take, too much maybe. This was ultimately your decision, whether they got a hold of you (which was unlikely) or not. If you joined, your whole mostly peaceful little life would be upended. You’d have to find someone else to take on your clients. You’d probably have to move into the Tower, training day in and day out. Would you still have time for school even? Would it be too dangerous for others if you were to continue?

If you didn’t join you’d still be keeping this secret from Steve but if you did go with them… He’d kind of be like your boss, wouldn’t he? He basically leads the Avengers most of the time and while they don’t have set roles, it was clear that he was the one who doled out all of the direct orders. Would it be alright to date your boss? Would he even still want to if he knew you weren’t a normal person? Or that you were the new kid on the team?

You had none of the answers and no way of knowing how any of it would turn out without taking a huge leap into the unknown. Just, ugh, what the fuck were you supposed to do?

You looked up as a woman with strikingly white hair entered the cafe with a red-headed woman at her side. You looked away and took a few more sips of your drink, thinking nothing of their appearance in the cafe as they ordered. That was, however, until they encroached on your little corner of the cafe and sat at the two other seats in front of you. It was the red-headed woman that spoke first.

“Hi, my name is Jean Grey.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Sooo, dog girl, huh? Already getting clumsy with your ‘best girl’, Cap.”

Sam chuckled with a knowing smile at Steve. After you left, most of the team had scattered around the Tower, left to their own devices until the next time they received a mission or the White Rabbit showed up. They had trained for a few hours to work off some steam and Bucky got Courage to walk on one of the treadmills just to see if he could do it. He wasn’t fully trained yet but the Center had been more than happy to let the two get to know each other for a few days to see if Courage would be a good fit at the Tower.

The three soldiers were lounging around the posh common room feeling a bit lazy just sitting around watching TV and waiting. Bucky was lying lengthwise across the sleek leather couch with Courage dead asleep on his chest. His eyes were closed but the Sergeant was anything but asleep. Steve groaned from his spot on the loveseat perpendicular to the couch. His long legs were draped over the plush arm of the seat, his head resting against the other end with how tall he was. He shifted slightly to look at Sam who was in sprawled out in an armchair on the other side of the coffee table with a beer in hand.

“Her ankle getting sprained was Buck’s fault, not mine. He got so wrapped up in his new mutt that he didn’t pay attention and plowed right into her,” Steve complained.

“Hey, punk! Courage isn’t a mutt, he’s half pitbull half… something else probably. Also, I feel like it’s impolite to say that I ‘plowed’ your girlfriend. What would your ma think?,” Bucky laughed.

“She’s not my girlfriend. Hell, with the way she left all nervous I don’t know if she’s even still interested. It would’ve been a lot better if the _entire_ team didn’t stare her down the whole time,” Steve groused, slinging his arm over the back of the loveseat to pull himself up into a sitting position.

“Yet. She’s not your girlfriend... _yet,_ pal _._ ” Buck countered as he gently poked at Courage’s nose with his metal hand. The dog huffed in his sleep and his half-floppy ears twitched, making Bucky smile. “If you would just man up and ask her out already, she’d be yours. It’s not like she doesn’t already know you like her that way. She seemed way less spooked over meeting the team than I was the first time, girl’s made of tough stuff.”

“I- I want to but I don’t know. I’m still hung up a lot of stuff and–”

“Uh-uh, nope, we already had this discussion, pal. Don’t let fear rule your life. If you haven’t asked this girl out by the end of the week, I’m gonna do it for you,” Buck chided.

“Barnes is right, for once.” Sam added, earning a pointed glare from Bucky in response to the jab. “You really like this girl, Cap. It’s super obvious to _literally_ everyone. Don’t stop yourself before you even start just because of what you do. Be careful about it, of course, but don’t let them rule your life.”

Steve sighed and hung his head a bit before nodding. “You’re right. You’re right. I’ll call her tomorrow, or tonight maybe. I don’t want to disturb her while she’s in class…” he murmured. Buck snorted and held in a laugh. “The prospect of your first date in seventy-something years, any guy’d be nervous about that.”

Steve’s head shot up and he scoffed. “I’ve been on dates since I woke up, Buck,” Steve defended himself.

“Uh-huh, and my name’s Mariela Elena Rodriguez y Calderón,” Sam quipped.

“Good to know you still remember the full name of your latest fling, Wilson.”

“Fuck off, Barnes. Mariela is lovely and I’m probably going to marry her someday. Our kids will be beautiful and amazing. She isn’t a _fling._ ”

“Awww ain’t that sweet, Courage? Guess Steve isn’t the only one hung up on some dame.” Buck said as he flopped Courage’s ears from side to side. The dog rolled onto his side with another huff and Bucky chuckled. One of his ears picked up at a noise but he didn’t get up because he wasn’t on duty without his vest on. All the men turned their heads towards the elevator doors as they swished open. The rest of the team piled out of the elevator and moved to their usual spots around the living room. Bucky didn’t bother moving or making room so Clint opted to sit on the floor instead of bothering the metal-armed assassin. Tony strolled in last with Bruce at his side, both scientists standing in front of the TV.

“Okay, everyone. Family meeting,” Tony called out despite already having everyone’s attention, earning a few eye rolls.

“Bruce and I have made up a few new tools to help catch our little Brooklyn Bunny Babe. We’ve put this into several different, uh, let’s say containers for you all to carry so we can finally catch that wascally wabbit,” he said as he cleared a few items off of the table. He set most of them aside but held onto a small vase. He nodded towards Bruce who took the beaker of semi-translucent black liquid he was carrying and poured it onto the table in a small puddle. Clint backed up against the couch a bit more in case it was dangerous. Tony set the vase down and quickly tried to pull it back up but it wouldn’t budge even a little bit.

“Sooo… glue? Like a big ol’ human-sized glue trap?” Clint questioned, leaning forward to tap on the vase a few times.

“Well, yes and no. It’s meant to kept her in place long enough so that we can get our hands on her without her jumping ship for the thousandth time,” Tony explained.

“It’s fast acting and non-toxic so we won’t hurt her and after about 20 to 25 minutes it dries out completely. So maybe we can actually hold a conversation with her for more than a few seconds. After that it peels up from most surfaces quite well and the rest we can just wash away with water. This way she can’t dig her way out or cut the net or whatever else while we’re unable to get to her. We went back and analyzed more of the footage people have taken online and it seems like she only uses her powers in short bursts for the most part,” Bruce continued.

The team went back and forth for a few minutes, formulating a plan to bait the White Rabbit out of Brooklyn. Being on her home turf seemed pretty ineffective at this point. It would have to be a seemingly big event and something that would look like it was too much for them to handle on their own. They would need more than a few SHIELD agents to pull it off but it was more of a proper plan than they had in weeks, so they were feeling a little optimistic about it.

They all stiffened when the elevator doors swished open again unexpectedly and Fury with Agent Hill at his side walked out unannounced. Steve stood up as they got closer, his expression hardened into something slightly more concerned. Fury handed the Captain a manila folder with a pointed look before he spoke.

“We finally got one of Rumlow’s men to crack, just a little bit, the rest of them are still on lockdown. That bank heist was a ruse to lure out our little bunny-eared friend so what’s left of Hydra could try to get their hands on her. They don’t know who she is yet either but they’re getting close and they have as many eyes on her as we do. You all need to get your asses in gear and bring this girl in before she ends up in the wrong hands,” Fury commanded.

“We’ll keep trying to find something on this girl and what they want with her but we can assume that it won’t be much. We can also assume that Hydra isn’t the only organization she’s gotten the attention of, good or bad. Bring her in,” Hill spoke before they both turned and walked back to the elevator without another word. The team sat silently for a few moments after the doors closed, Steve looking closely over the file he had in his hand.

Nat broke the silence.

“So I wasn't going to mention this until I had more concrete proof but…” She waved a hand in the direction of the elevator, silently indicating their dwindling timeline. “...does anyone else think Cap’s new friend seemed a little bit _suspicious_ after you let it slip that the White Rabbit would be good on the team?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this at like 5 in the morning because daylight savings time has thrown off my sleeping schedule so bad that I fall asleep at like 8pm and wake up at 3am lol. As soon as it gets dark at like 6pm, my body is like "Oops, sleep time. Good night everyone!" It's friggin ridiculous.


	10. “What do you want then?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions, decisions... Or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What uuuup bitches? I have not abandoned you, my sweet children lol. I apologize for the ridiculous amount of wait (on this and every other story I'm doing lmao), I was having a bit of mental crisis (still am, lbr). I actually wrote three different versions of this chapter before something clicked the other day, so here we are!
> 
> Either way, hopefully it's not super disappointing! I'll see y'all again soon~

“Wait– So it’s basically a school to help people with their mutant powers?” you questioned the two people in front of you. They shared an amused look that only two good friends could.

The two women were intimidating in their own right. Their posture and demeanors held a lot of power and everyone with a brain could sense it. Ms. Munroe, or Ororo as she quickly corrected you, especially had a regal presence about her. Even if you knew little of her personal background, it wouldn't surprise you if she said she was a queen somewhere.

You couldn't help but awkwardly shift in your chair, suddenly feeling swallowed up and small amongst the plush fabric.

Ororo let out a demure chuckle but nodded nonetheless. “Among other things but yes, a large part of the curriculum for the students is to help them properly harness their powers and avoid hurting themselves and others whenever possible. We strive to make their lives as rich as we can so they can live without fear of themselves.”

You nodded thoughtfully, taking a sip of your drink before speaking. “I mean, I don’t really need much in the way of training and I’m already in school, even if you’ve recently included a university as you said.”

Jean shook her head with a small smirk. She leaned forward slightly, letting her brilliant red hair fall forward so her face was obscured from the rest of the patrons. “That’s... not necessarily what we want you for, Y/N. It’s clear you already have an incredible grasp on your abilities,” she ended in a whisper.

“What do you want then?” You asked despite having a sneaking suspicion of their true intentions.

It's not like you hadn't heard of their team before. They weren't as popular or well-received as the Avengers because of tensions concerning mutants but they were on the news often enough. Your hands fiddled with the lid of your drink, failing to suppress your mind’s need to fidget when you were nervous. Your head snapped up when another voice spoke in your mind.

“We’d like to invite you to join the X-Men, Miss L/N.”

* * *

 

“So what, you think this little dog walker from Bedford fights crime after class or something?” Clint questioned, having read extensively into your file after they found out about Cap’s visits to the park. He let out a few awkward grunts as he still kept trying to move the vase glued to the table. It barely shifted in the black goo.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a superhero or two walked out of Brooklyn,” Nat said pointedly, nodding in the direction of their two resident super soldiers. Buck couldn't fight the roll of his eyes, ignoring the others to mess with Courage’s face.

“She’s also in the right area, around the same build, and going to college for, uh, theoretical physics of all things. Tony specifically said her thesis paper was something about _time_. It's all horribly on the nose, if you ask me,” she explained, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.

“C’mon, how many people could fit that description? Why don't we bring up her class roster, huh? We’d probably find at least 10 other people that fit all of that,” Sam pointed out with a huff.

“Okay, but that's still 10 people we could do some digging on to see if they fit the bill,” Tony added.

“Romanoff’s right. It's all speculation but it’s more of a lead than chasing after someone that can't be caught,” Pietro said from his new perch on the kitchen counter, munching away at an apple that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“Well, decidedly hard to catch. It's not impossible,” Bruce had to point out. “Few things are completely impossible.”

Nat rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “At the very least I think she knows something about our little friend. She didn't exactly have the typical reaction to hearing about why we’re after the White Rabbit. A regular person wouldn't have squawked like that.”

Sam shifted in his seat, knowing this was a decent enough lead but reluctant to mess up Steve’s relationship with you. “So what do we do then? We can't exactly interrogate Cap’s almost-girlfriend. If we’re wrong, we’re gonna scare her off for sure.”

“This is the first time we've had anything close to a proper lead in weeks, Wilson.”

“Yeah we all know that this is the first time Cap’s been close to a proper relationship in several centuries. You're literally the President of the ‘Get Cap a Date’ Club, you have to see where I'm comin’ from here.”

Nat nodded knowingly because it was basically true. She had tried setting him up time and again and nothing stuck this well til you.

“Can we not talk about me like I'm not right here?” Steve cut in, jaw tense from listening to his team speak.

“Alright then, what do you think, Rogers?”

* * *

 

You slumped back in your chair, drink half finished in your hand. Not wanting to drop it, you set it down again on the table next to you.

The meeting with Ororo and Jean was just… odd and certainly unexpected.

They were altogether pleasant and accommodating with their actions, plying you with their ideals even if you were kind of already on their side. Still, you _mostly_ declined their offer to join the X-Men for the time being. There wasn't much to be said after that so they left, which seemed more that a tactical retreat than giving up.

Ororo left you with her card from Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, though the name was crossed out and rewritten as The Xavier Institute.

Guess they're in need of new business cards.

Still it was kind of a ridiculous name to begin with, if you were being honest. Like who uses the word “youngster”?

Either way, from what the two of them said, the school seemed like the idyllic place for mutants that you only could have thought up in your dreams. They urged you to come visit the school in upstate New York whenever you had the chance and you had a hard time thinking of reasons not to go. It wasn’t as if you needed help controlling your powers (for the most part) but being in a safe environment with other mutants seemed nice. No one else (alive) actually knew you were a mutant, so maybe it would be nice to make a few friends.

Plus, it was only for a few days at most, right?

You twirled the card around in your fingers and sighed. What if the place really was as cool as they made it out to be? It was clearly a way to try and further convince you to join their team, even if you already mostly said no. The place seemed just a little bit too far out of your comfort-zone, at least geography-wise, having spent most of your life living in Brooklyn. The Avengers Tower was only a subway ride away.

Oh yeah, there was _that too_.

The whole business of Steve and maybe becoming an Avenger.

It's not like they could really ask now that you're out for a week or two on a bum ankle. They only ever show up after you've made an appearance somewhere. It never occurred to you how well you managed to hide your true identity but no one ever sees you come or go and you rarely spoke, so how could they track you?

It wasn't much of a struggle to avoid social media, even if it cut you off from more than a few friends. But they were small sacrifices to protect you and the other people in your life. The only web presence you really had was your small website for your dog walking and an account with a pet sitting service you rarely got jobs from. It felt kind of nice to know you just barely managed to outsmart a bunch of seasoned superheroes by being a little out of the ordinary.

You sighed and ran a hand over your face. Just more bullshit you have to debate over in your head for the next few weeks. You'd think they could be a little bit more courteous and wait til after the semester was up but noooo… they all wanted you _now_.

 _Ugh_.

You hobbled your way back onto the subway and back home without much fuss. The rest of your day was going to be spent doing homework and binging stupid documentaries on Netflix like a semi-normal person.

 _Not_ thinking about whether you want to fight bad guys for a living (or not).

* * *

 

Your phone went off about three documentaries and half a pizza into your self-inflicted time off. You stared at your phone from the other side of the couch, too cozy in all of your blankets to want to reach over and check the message. It dinged a few more times in a row and you huffed, letting your body flop over across the length of the couch. Your arm snaked out of your cocoon and lazily held the phone in front of your face.

A slow smile spread across your face as you saw who they were from.

[✨Star-Spangled✨]: Hey Y/N!

[✨Star-Spangled✨]: Are you busy?

[✨Star-Spangled✨]: It's okay if you are, btw. I just had a few questions I wanted to ask is all.

[✨Star-Spangled✨]: Call me when you get the chance.

You giggled, knowing Steve disliked texting for more than a few messages at a time. It made you nervous the first few times you talked to him over the phone but you learned quickly that he had a way of making you feel calm just talking with him. It was an easy relationship between the two of you, as just friends or not, everything just seemed to click. It's something you'd never really experienced with anyone else and it was really nice to have someone that seemed to fit you well and vice versa.

It rang a few times before he finally picked up. It was a little late at this point, even if he just texted you, so hopefully he hadn't fallen asleep or something.

“Heeey Steve,” you greeted in a sing-song tone

“Y/N! How, uh, how are doing?”

“Oh, I’m doing okay, aside from the ankle thing,” you chuckled. “Mostly watching random stuff while I think about doing homework since I probably earned a day off.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Cool.” He sounded oddly out of it and a little nervous?

You sat up a bit straighter and adjusted the phone against your ear. “Everything alright, Steve?”

“Yeah, I, uh, I just wanted–”

You heard faint voices in the background and Steve’s muffled voice speaking to someone else before the distinct sound of a swift punch and a yelp from someone else in the room.

“Uh, Steve?”

He came back to the phone with a huff. “Sorry about that. I, uh, well some people were being nosy jerks so I had to take care of it,” he grouse and you threw your head back in laughter.

“What do they even need to be nosy for?” you laughed.

“ _Well-um-I-was-wondering-if-you-wanted-to-go-out-sometime-if-that’s-okay_ ,” he blurted out in one breath.

You're pretty sure your brain and lungs stopped working for half a second there. Did he just–? Okay. It's happening. This is happening. You should say something. You need to respond with words and other noises. You're over the phone, Y/N, say something. Oh my goodness, what do you even say?

“Y/N?”

You snapped to attention. “Uh, yeah. Sorry but, uh, you mean like as friends? Or, um, are you asking me out on a date?” You asked lamely, mentally cursing yourself for sounding like a pre-teen being asked to the school dance.

He let out a nervous laugh, probably rubbing the back of neck like he usually did.

“I'm asking you out on a date, Y/N.”


	11. “Eh, free country.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Not an actual chapter** lol, but I got an ask yesterday that said "And I'm happy that steve finally _bucked_ up and asked her out lol." So I was inspired to write the end bit from the last chapter in their perspective.

Steve sat back against the couch with a huff. He was alone in the common room for once so he took a chance and texted you. Even after the team’s… discussion, he didn’t want to chicken out from taking the next step. He fiddled with his phone, turning it over his hands as he waited for you to get back to him.

His head shot up when the elevator doors opened and Sam, Bucky, and Courage came out. He held in a groan, knowing they’d immediately start talking shit. His head thumped against the back of the couch as both of his friends took up their usual spots while Courage was busy doing a perimeter check.

Right as Bucky was about to ask what Steve was up to, Steve’s phone rang. Completely not expecting you to call so quickly, he almost dropped his phone as he tried to pick it up. He rolled his eyes at his friend’s shit-eating grins before taking in a deep breath and picking up.

“Heeey Steve,” you greeted him in a sing-song tone.

“Y/N! How, uh, how are doing?” Steve stammered. Both of his supposed friends tried (and failed) not to giggle at the Captain’s nervous disposition. Even though he wasn’t in his vest, Courage took his queue to sidle up to the Captain to distract him.

“Oh, I’m doing okay, aside from the ankle thing,” you chuckled and he visibly winced remembering what happened earlier. “Mostly watching random stuff while I think about doing homework since I probably earned a day off.”

His grip on the phone tightened as his two friends made horribly obnoxious kissing noises at him.

_ “Would you like to go on a date with me sometime or now, maybe? Also my friends want to know if you just happen to be the vigilante crime fighter we’ve been trying to track for months now. _ ” 

He definitely bit his tongue to keep from blurting out all of that. 

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Cool.” He answered lamely, earning a few uproars of silent laughter from both Sam and Bucky.

He could hear you moving around on the other end of the line. “Everything alright, Steve?”

“Yeah, I, uh, I just wanted–”

“Get some balls man and just ask her!” Sam interrupted as he stood up again.

“Yeah, as entertaining as this is right now. We’d really like you to start dating someone before the century is up,” Buck laughed. 

“If you two don't get out of here I'm putting you on post mission clean-up for the next 3 months.” Steve growled with his hand over the mic. Sam and Bucky responded simultaneously.

“–What! Hey!”

“Eh, free country.”

Sam made to leave the common room with a huff, instead he stopped beside Steve with an empathetic smile. “We’re just looking out for you, Cap. There's no need for you to die a 90-year-old virgin.”

That earned Sam a swift punch to the arm and at least 4 months of clean-up duty. Sam swore and nursed the forming bruise on his bicep. Even if Steve wasn't using full strength by any means, he knew better than to keep giving him shit. 

“Uh, Steve?”

The sound of your voice snapped him to attention. He let out a breath to calm his already frayed nerves. “Sorry about that. I, uh, well some people were being nosy jerks so I had to take care of it,” he groused.  Your response was a good humored laugh that made his stomach do somersaults, just like every time he earned one from you.

“What do they even need to be nosy for?” you laughed. Just ask her, Steve. You can ask a girl out for goodness sake.

“Well-um-I-was-wondering-if-you-wanted-to-go-out-sometime-if-that’s-okay,” he blurted out in one breath. Buck snorted, patting his chest as he laid back against the cushions so Courage would come lie on him.

Steve’s nerves ramped up tenfold as the silence drew on and on. He thought for a moment you might've hung up but checking the screen he knew you were still on the line.

“Y/N?” he implored.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry but, uh, you mean like as friends? Or, um, are you asking me out on a date?” You sputtered on the other end and Steve couldn't help the smirk on his face knowing you were suddenly just as nervous as he was about this. It was a good sign –hopefully– so he took the chance and made himself perfectly clear.

“I'm asking you out on a date, Y/N.”


	12. just an update, sorry~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh I hate doing these but at least y'all won't be in the dark. I'll delete this later on once I have more chapters to post.

Hey nerds~ I just wanted to put this out there since I assume most of y'all on here don't follow me on tumblr/ check the comments. This fic is kind of on hiatus for the time being, just until I finish out the rest of the chapters. I don't really like makin' y'all wait so long  _between_ chapters, so I've put off posting them til I'm done with the series.

This is just my preference, so I'm not gonna argue about it or anything. Please refrain from leaving messages  _telling_ me to update because they really, really don't help. I'm happy when people get excited over something of mine but telling me to finish something is the wrong way to express that.

I'm admittedly scatterbrained ( ~~which is really just a codeword for a few different mental disorders that make me seem flaky~~ ), so I just work on what comes to me, unfortunately. So I can't give a proper timeline as to when it'll be done. I haven't abandoned this (or any of the other fics I've got going  ~~except maybe the Star Wars ones~~ ) so don't give up me just yet lol. 

I have/will post little preview snippets on my tumblr, so check that out if you want to. Okay bye y'all~ ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on Tumblr too @[melonshino](http://melonshino.tumblr.com/) ❤️


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